


The Littlest Gunner

by TimidMarshmallow



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Mini, Pocket edition, Spelunking gone wrong, but they sometimes have a point, crazy status effects, old people are kooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 13:05:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12748893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimidMarshmallow/pseuds/TimidMarshmallow
Summary: Cave exploration is never easy. They should have brought more supplies. But they didn't, and now the shortest is even smaller. This little problem causes some big trouble!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to put this out when the pocket edition released, but I think I'll post it now ;P

"What the hell is that!?" 

"I believe those creatures are known as Hecteyes. Watch out for the-" Ignis' warning was cut off as Prompto was hit with a bright laser. He stumbled back, confused. Noctis warped over to try and give him a packet of smelling salts. The king had to fade into sparkling blue to avoid being accidentally shot. As he rematerialized one of the monsters knocked into him. 

Noctis dropped the curative item. "Oh no." 

That was the last one, and now the contents were all over the floor. 

Another laser beam hit the blond before Gladio pushed the creature back with his shield. Noctis tackled Prompto before he could shoot Ignis. "Prompto, wake up!"

Gladio's shout did nothing to dampen the status effect. Prompto kept moaning as he tried to continue fighting. He had to help his friends! All of them, and their odd doubles. Or triples? Prompto wasn't sure, there were at least two Nocts... Noctises??? and Ignis was currently splitting into fourths. Where was Gladio? Oh, there he was. Fighting with an Ignis. Prompto shook his head at his silly friends. 

The advisor stabbed the creature in one of its many eyes, narrowly avoiding another laser beam as the creature died. Gladio managed to catch the last two with a large swing of his greatsword. The older men went to check on the younger two when they were sure the monsters were gone. 

Noctis was still pinning an afflicted Prompto. "Give me the gun!"

"Huh?" Prompto held the gun tightly as Noctis tried to take it. The confusion continued as Noctis forced the weapon back into the Armiger. 

"It's no use, Noctis. We'll have to wait it out. It might take a while, he was hit twice." The advisor put a hand on the king's shoulder. 

"We have to keep moving. What if there are more of those things? We're sitting ducks here." Gladio helped Noctis hoist the blond up. Ignis checked his pockets for some more smelling salts, but no, they were out of that item. Damn. 

Daurell Caverns suddenly became a lot more dangerous now that the group knew of the Hecteyes. What other horrors awaited? They pushed on in spite of their lack of supplies and infected friend. 

Thankfully the next few minutes of cave exploration were peaceful. Noctis had slung Prompto's arm over his shoulder and had put an arm around the blond's waist. Ignis walked behind, and Gladio took the front. 

Noctis groaned as the group stepped into a sickly green puddle that suddenly took up all of the tunnel's walking space. He had to fight an intense wave of nausea, and he tightened his grip on Prompto. "Uuuuugh. And I was just starting to feel better..." The gunner fought the urge to vomit. 

And, because the universe loved screwing with these four particular men, more Hecteyes appeared. With their good old pal Necromancer too. 

Prompto summoned his gun as Noctis let go. He felt well enough to fight now, it was time for round two! Revenge against the monsters for incapacitating him commenced. 

Another laser hit him. 

"Prompto!" 

Ignis turned to see why Noctis was yelling. That was a mistake, because the monster he had been slicing decided now was a good time to fire its laser. The tactician fell over with the force of the blast. 

"Gladio! Grab Ignis, let's go!" Noctis snatched a shakily aiming gun and dragged Prompto behind him as he ran to safety. The shield was not far behind with a muttering Ignis thrown on his back. "Iggy, stop trying to let go!" Gladio held Ignis' arms so the emergency piggyback ride would not result in a lost passenger. 

They made it out of the cave and guided their confused companions back to the nearby fishing shack. The afflicted party members sobered up after a few more minutes. 

"I'm a wreck." Prompto clutched his stomach as Ignis coughed. "I won't be surprised if you come down with something. The combination of three confusion blasts and the poison from that puddle can't be good for your body." 

Noctis put a hand on both of their foreheads. "Well, you don't feel feverish. Let's get to a hotel so you two can rest."

They walked slowly to the car, the king in the back so he could keep an eye on his friends. Nobody collapsed, and he kept his pleased grin to himself. 

Gladio put a hand on Ignis shoulder before the usual driver could take his spot. "Uh-uh, Noct is designated driver until you get some rest. Get in the back seat. Promise I won't bug you... much."

Ignis groaned. "I'm likely to stay nauseous then."

"What's that supposed to mean, Specs? My driving is just fine!" Noctis started the car indignantly. 

"Please stop yelling. My head hurts." Prompto closed his eyes and covered his ears as Noctis leaned over to check for a fever again. No, the blond wasn't overly warm. Noctis still worried. "As soon as we check in you are laying down. Got that, Blondie?"

"Mmhm. Sounds good."

-o-

Gladio handled securing the room as the other three pulled their stuff out of the car. Noctis tried to carry everything, but Ignis and Prompto insisted they weren't THAT sick. The king begrudgingly let his friends do it themselves. 

He worried, okay?

The showers felt amazing. Getting rid of the grime and lingering poison goo was heavenly, and the smell of Ignis cooking dinner quickly put everyone in a better mood. 

Prompto put clean clothes on, paying no mind to how loose they were as he cinched the pajama pants tighter with the waist tie. "So... where are we going tomorrow? Not back into the scary cave, right?" He chuckled nervously. 

Noctis answered around a mouthful of dinner. "We have to. Might be something good in there. Besides, we just need to stock up on stuff and then we'll be fine. We know what we're up against now."

Ignis sighed. "Yes, it's a bit humiliating that we were run out of the cave by a few monsters. All because of improper preparation..." 

Gladio hummed. "Eh, it's alright. I'm just glad we got out before we were all confused. That would've been really bad." The other three shuddered. 

Prompto yawned. "I think I'm gonna turn in early, guys. I feel... sore." He stretched to try and alleviate the dull aches all over his body. 

Noctis nodded. "Yeah, you got creamed by those monsters. Not surprised you're in pain."

"Hey! I wasn't creamed! I got in a good shot or two!" 

"Lighten up, I'm just teasing. Go to bed. Feel better, okay?" Noctis playfully swatted his best friend away. Prompto mumbled something about big meanies before laying down. 

"Ignis, do you feel better?" Noctis watched the advisor, ready to catch him in his usual lie of 'I'm fine'. Sure enough, Ignis attempted to assure the king that he was okay. Gladio cut him off before he could finish. "I think we should all go to bed. Big day of cave walking tomorrow."

Ignis saw what they were doing. "After we replenish our supply-"

"Yeah, yeah, go to bed. Stop worrying about everyone and let us take care of you." Noctis clapped his trusted advisor on the back as they all headed to bed. 

=========================

Prompto woke up and rolled over as Noctis lightly snored next to him. That was weird? 

Not the whole Noctis sleeping next to him, that was normal, but the distance between them was weird. Usually Noctis was clamped around him, the older man was a notorious sleep cuddler. He would often whine when he woke up covered in Prompto's sleep drooling. Hey, it's not his fault that that was his bad sleeping habit. Gladio snored loudly, Ignis talked in his sleep, Noctis cuddled too tight, and Prompto drooled. No one was perfect!

Anyway, Prompto kicked off what seemed like oceans of blankets. That was also weird, he had only gone to sleep with the thin hotel blanket. Why did it feel so heavy over him? He opened his eyes after reaching his arm out to search yielded no results. 

Noctis was there, but he was huge!?! Or rather, Prompto was tiny??!!?!? 

He sat up, trying not to hyperventilate. Oh em gee what if Noctis rolled over right now and crushed him thank goodness he didn't do that while they were both asleep earlier how long had he been shrunken OH EM GEE where are his clothes!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Prompto realized why the blanket was so heavy. It was actually the hem of his pajama shirt and the blanket that had been crushing him. He looked back at Noctis to try and figure out just how small he had become. He was about the size of those cool figurines that Noctis had bought back in Insomnia. The poseable ones, that came with tiny weapons and such. 

Wait, what was he doing worrying about just how small he was? How he shrank was the better question. How to get back to normal was the best question he could think of. Aw man, his phone was on the nightstand and he couldn't reach it to look up some answers without risking falling off of the bed. A drop from that height would surely break his now tiny limbs. 

Gathering the hem of his shirt, Prompto dragged it over towards Noct's face. He wrapped the cloth around his body to protect his decency. 

Whew. Okay. Here goes. 

Prompto poked Noctis' nose. "Noct! Noct, wake up! Noct!" His voice was the teeniest bit squeaky, but it was loud enough that his best friend stirred. "Come on, wake up! I need your help, man!"

Noctis raised a hand to smack at whatever was bothering his nose. "AAH! Noct, wait, don't!" Noctis knocked Prompto against his face as he tried to rub the blanket? pressing on his face. 

Wait, what was Prompto whining about at this hour? And what was pushing on his cheek? 

Noctis opened his eyes as he wiped his face again, hand knocking into Prompto's entire side. He saw his best friend scramble up, and his brain slowly registered the problem. "What the hell?" 

Noctis sat up and scooped the minuscule gunman into his palms. Prompto clung onto the shirt for dear life, not wanting to add nudity to this already embarrassing predicament. "Noct! I'm freaking out right now! How do I get back to normal!?"

"How should I know? What the hell happened to you?" Noctis moved Prompto closer to his eyes, using the dim morning light to examine this new development. He delicately grabbed an arm and lifted before Prompto yanked it back towards his body. "I'm not a doll! Dude, this is serious!" 

The blond gripped his now exposed wrist. Damn it! He needed something to cover this! Luckily it was too dark for Noctis to have noticed the mark. Prompto hoisted the fabric of his shirt up and positioned his wrist under it so that it just looked like he was supporting the cloth and not hiding any big secrets. 

"I'm going to wake up Iggy. He'll know what to do. Here, hold on." Noctis carefully held Prompto around his waist like he was indeed a doll. The 'not too tight, don't want to squish my best friend' mantra started in Noct's head. 

"Aw man! This is terrifying!" Prompto squeezed his eyes shut. His fear of heights had to remind him that, yes, he was high up off the ground. Noctis put his other hand under Prompto's feet. "I'm not going to drop you."

The poor advisor was roused from his much needed sleep. Ignis sat up, and Noctis thought he looked a bit too short. "Oh, you shrank a little too."

"What are you talking about at this forsaken hour?" Ignis grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. It was too early for shenanigans, he hadn't even had his Ebony yet. 

"Ignis, help!" 

The man opened his eyes to see why they were bothering him and why Prompto sounded funny. 

What? 

He was greeted by the sight of a still sleepy Noctis holding a miniature panicking Prompto. 

Ignis closed his eyes and sighed. Why do these things keep happening to them?

-o-

Gladio laughed at how short Ignis was and how small Prompto was and thank goodness that he and Noctis hadn't gotten hit with a poison-confusion combo. 

"So let me get this straight. One laser and poison equals midget, and three lasers plus poison equals toy? Haha, you look like one of Iris' dolls!" Gladio poked the top of Prompto's upright bangs. 

"Cut it out, man! Noct!" Prompto swatted at the giant who was still messing with him. He readjusted the shirt before Noctis picked him up again. "Iggy, can I get a handkerchief from my jeans?" Oh wait, he had used that on that wounded dog they had found. Chocobo turds. 

Ignis just pulled one out of his own pocket. "Here. We'll figure something out after breakfast." He wanted his damn coffee already. 

Noctis set Prompto down on the counter in the bathroom with the handkerchief and waited outside the door. "Don't fall into the sink."

"I'm not that accident prone!" The hankie was fashioned into a 'toga'. Prompto kept his arm hidden in the folds of the fabric. It was a lot easier to move without all of the shirt weighing him down. 

"You keep telling yourself that. Are you covered? I'm coming back in." Noctis entered and got out their toothbrushes. "Oh... how are you gonna brush?" The toothbrush was too large for the blond's mouth now. Prompto just swiped a handful of paste off of the top of Noctis' toothbrush. He used his fingers to rub the toothpaste along his teeth and tongue. "Thwith ith weiiiird." 

Noctis held Prompto next to the gentle stream off water spilling from the faucet. Prompto rinsed, managing to not get completely soaked. 

Breakfast was also a humongous hassle. Noctis tried to feed him, but Prompto insisted he could eat by himself. "I'm not a baby! I can still do this, at least." He would not be a burden, he simply couldn't! He sat at the edge of the plate and just ate barehanded. The fork was as tall as he was, and it was difficult to maneuver anyway. 

Gladio was still giggling at Ignis' diminished stature. "Wait, wait, push your bangs down. I want to see how much that shaves off your height."

Ignis rolled his eyes. "Are you going to this juvenile all day?" 

"As long as this lasts, I'm going to enjoy it." Gladio smirked, and Ignis had the urge to put laxatives in his dinner. He wouldn't, because he did the laundry and Ignis didn't feel like dealing with Gladio's literal... well, moving on...

"Prompto, you know we have to keep moving, right? We can't just stay in the hotel room all day. Our funds are precariously low, hence the lack of items. We should probably take a few hunts before attempting the Caverns once more." Ignis put a hand on his chin. They were down a gunner, and it would be hard to use his own lances with his new shortness. 

Noctis waved his hand dismissively. "Gladio and I got it. I mean, you can use your daggers if you want, but I'd feel better if you didn't."

"I'm going to fight." Ignis' tone left no room for argument. 

"Great. I'm the only one who can't do anything." Prompto pretended to simply pout, but he was actually upset. The other three shouldn't have to do all the work, they needed his help too. 

Noctis saw right through the act. "Prom, stop beating yourself up. You're not going to fight, simple as that. Instead, I want you right here, acting as a second set of eyes for me." He pointed at his chest pocket and opened the flap covering it. "This way you can help me and I don't have to worry about you getting stepped on."

Prompto smiled at his best friend. "Alright. It's not much, but I'm going to be useful! If that's what you want me to do then prepare yourself for the best damn extra eyes ever!" Um, that came out weird. Noctis still got the message though. 

"First you need clothes. I'm not putting you in my pocket in just a hankie. Best friend or not, that's just strange." Noctis poked Prompto's tummy, remembering not to push too hard. The blond put a hand on the pointer finger assaulting him. "Thanks, Noct."

"We're here to support each other in times of need." Ignis held a finger against Prompto's shoulder, trying to be as supportive as he was saying. Gladio chuckled. "We're also here to tease the hell out of each other, so I've got you covered too." 

-o-

The luckiest part of this whole ordeal was that the hotel lost and found had a few dolls that were Prompto's size. 

He now had pants. Sort of... They were actually blue footie pajamas that were a bit too small for Prompto's shoulders, so he wore them as pants with the sleeves tightened around his waist. They had found a doll with a plain red tank for him to use also. Well, it had been a shirt originally, but Ignis cut off the sleeves for him. It was summer, and if Gladio could walk around with an open shirt then Prompto could enjoy sleeveless tops. There had been a hair tie on one of the dolls, so Prompto discretely wrapped a black one around his wrist. Thankfully nobody commented. 

"Thanks for making your handkerchief into a pair of boxers. I owe you one, Iggy." Prompto fiddled with the seatbelt that secured his entire body to the passenger seat. 

"You're welcome." Ignis had even repaired a few buttons while Gladio picked up a few hunts for them to do. Noctis had taken the last of their gil to buy more Phoenix Downs for the day. They were currently driving towards a hunt that required some coeurl slaying. 

As soon as the Regalia eased to a stop Noctis reached forward to grab his pal. "Pocket Prompto, travel sized for your convenience!" 

"Nooooct! I'm not a doll! Seriously, dude, this is horrible enough." Prompto couldn't use his camera, his gun, his phone... He couldn't even look out of the window. He had amused himself the entire car ride by singing along to the radio. Unbeknownst to him, Noctis had been using his camera to videotape the whole thing. 

Noctis gently dropped Prompto into his chest pocket. Gladio snickered again. "Close the flap on him."

"Hey! Noct, don't listen to-"

Noctis actually did it. He laughed when he felt Prompto trying to push it open. Muffled yelling came from his pocket. 

"Open that up, Noct, he needs to breathe." Ignis rolled his eyes. Noctis opened the flap, and Prompto pouted. "You guys are jerks!" 

"Sorry, haha, but that was so cute. I can't believe you fit in my pocket, it's just so adorable hahaha!" Noctis tapped the blond's head affectionately. 

"Hahaha! You better behave, kiddo, or we'll just keep the flap closed." Gladio ribbed Ignis. "Too bad you didn't shrink all the way, you could've ridden in the other pocket." 

"That's not what it means when they say to keep your friends close to your heart." If Ignis kept sighing exasperatedly so much he would deflate before noon. 

Prompto pointed from his perch as they drew closer to the bounty. "There they are!" Sure enough, a few coeurls were chilling out in the lightly wooded area. 

Noctis crept forward before stopping. "Wait. If I get knocked you might fly out. I'm going to close the flap again." 

"But how am I supposed to help if I can't see!?" 

Hmm. Noctis had promised that he could still contribute... "Fine. Just hang on or something." He just had to be extra careful he didn't get hit. 

Normally the gunner would've started the fight with a first shot, but Gladio charged instead. Ignis wasn't far behind, daggers materializing. Noctis clutched his chest to ensure Prompto didn't fall as he warped into the battle. 

"Noct! Watch out for the whisker!" The warning was heeded just in time, and lightning crackled around the feline antenna a split second after Noctis moved out of range. 

As the besties worked together Gladio watched Ignis' back. It was kind of unnecessary. The man's speed had improved now that he had less of himself to move around. Daggers nicked and slashed and finished the job as precisely as always. Gladio yelled for Ignis to duck and he swung the greatsword down on the last coeurl as the tactician gracefully backflipped away. 

"That wasn't so bad! Your warnings kept me a lot safer than usual, Prom!" Noctis' praise was true. The last time they had fought coeurls he had been fried more times than a potato at the Crow's Nest. 

"Yeah! You were awesome! It was kinda weird, I kept wanting to summon my gun and I had to stop myself." Prompto called forth the weapon now to prove why he didn't earlier. The gun appeared and clattered to the floor. It was still normal size, so he wasn't able to shoot. Had he done that during the battle then Noctis would have tripped on it. The weapon was replaced in its magical storage space. 

"Alright, next hunt!" 

-o-

The following hunt was simpler than the first. They just had to take out two dualhorns a few feet away from the diner. 

"Why didn't we start with this one?" Gladio swung the sword at a creature, turning the dualhorn into a uni-horn. 

"Because when we finish here we can go eat lunch." Ignis continued to prove that he was still a capable fighter. Noctis didn't need as much help as before, so Prompto just stuck to hanging on for dear life. 

The jobs completed, all four men eagerly went to get their gil and their lunch. 

The pocket flap was closed over Prompto as they ordered. They didn't need the man working the counter asking questions. Noctis just ordered a double sized burger and extra fries. When the food was ready they sat in the booth furthest from the door so they could set Prompto on the table. 

"Don't drink all that soda, you'll need to pee and you are NOT peeing in my shirt." Noctis moved the straw away, but Prompto just walked around the cup. Ignis suddenly grabbed him and hid the blond in his blazer as the chef came over. "Sorry, I messed up the order. I just realized I didn't give you the extra fries. Here you go." The food was deposited and the chef walked off. 

Ignis put a shaking Prompto back on the table. "Uh, a little warning next time please?" The sudden snatching followed by darkness had not been appreciated. 

"Sorry." Ignis poured out some ketchup next to the fries and they all dug in. They weren't even halfway done when Prompto stated that he needed to pee. "What did I tell you about the soda, huh? Come on, back into your hiding spot, chocobo butt."

"Hey, my hair-" Prompto was getting sick of the stupid pocket flap. Hmm, but the pocket itself was comfy. It was warm, and he could hear Noct's heart and breathing. It smelled like the softener Ignis used on all their clothes. Before he could settle down in his cozy quarters the king pulled him out. 

"Here, just... go in the sink. I don't want you falling into the toilet. I'll just turn on the water so it goes right down the drain." Noctis set him on the edge of the bathroom sink and pulled off a square of toilet paper from one of the stalls. He closed his eyes as he held out the paper, and Prompto conducted his business quickly. "Can I get some soap, please?" 

Noctis was careful not to pump a lot out, but a glob of soap still dripped off of the tiny hands. Prompto was held next to the water stream again. "Wait here on the counter, okay? I'm going to go while we're here." The older man went to go see a man about a chocobo in one of the stalls. 

Gladio came in and saw Prompto waiting. "Wow, real safe. What if a kid came in and thought you were an action figure? You'd be awful easy to just carry off." Gladio waited with his friend until Noctis came out to wash. 

"You didn't need to babysit him, I was almost done." 

"Oh, please. You've been babying him since this morning." The shield rolled his eyes and went into the stall. Noctis muttered something rude as he put Prompto into his pocket once more. 

Ignis had paid for the meal while everyone else visited the restrooms, and the advisor went himself as the other three waited in the car. 

Prompto was starting to fall asleep in the warm nest. Noctis decided against moving him and just let his friend stay where he was. He peeked in when Ignis returned. The gunner was curled up and dreaming. "Gladio, pass me the camera."

-o-

The next hunt was for some evil centipedes, and Noctis let Prompto sleep through that one. He buttoned the flap to ensure his friend would not fall out. 

Ignis dusted his hands and kicked a stray bug leg away from his shoes. "That should be enough gil to cover a restocking and a night in a hotel. Do we want to go back to the Caverns now? Or try to see if this size predicament will heal with a night of rest?" 

"That's up to you, you're the one who's fighting with it. I'm cool with whatever." Noctis checked in on his friend again. Still snoozing peacefully despite the jostling from the battle. 

"I don't know about you, but I want to just get it over with already. Let's just get the smelling salts and go." Gladio stretched out his sword arm, raring to get back to spelunking. 

They drove back to the diner to collect their reward, bought some more curatives from the truck parked outside, and jumped back into the Regalia to drive towards Daurell Springs. 

Prompto woke up as they were parking the car. He popped his head out of the pocket. "Where are we?" 

"Headed for round two of scary cave. Ready to go?" Noctis had been snacking on some candy coated chocolates, and he handed one to his friend now. Prompto accepted the gift and bit into the candy. He only ate a few nibbles, because it was too much for him to finish in his diminished state. Noctis took the uneaten portion and enjoyed it himself. 

"See what I meant about babying him?" Gladio smirked. "You're feeding him candy and letting him nap all day." 

"Sounds like Noctis himself. Despite my best efforts to control his sugar intake, of course." Ignis led the charge to the cave. He had a bone to pick with some Hecteyes.  
Noctis huffed, irritated. He didn't need a lecture about his diet right now. 

Now that they had some supplies (and knew where to avoid) the cave was a lot easier to survive. They were following one of the tunnels when they found it. 

"A pier? Here?" Noctis planted himself in front of the water and summoned his rod. "Cave fishing... gotta tell Navyth next time we run into him." 

"Does anyone else find it odd that we run into the same people no matter where we are in the world? And they always ask us for stuff. How are they always there right when we are?" Prompto figured they better start a conversation, because Noctis wouldn't be moving for a while. Since he couldn't use his phone, this was the only way to fight the boredom of his best friend's favorite activity. 

"Well, we're not the only people traveling Lucis, Prompto. Sania has her research, Dave is looking for lost hunter tags, Navyth is searching for fishing spots, and so on." Ignis did think it was a little too convenient that they met up in almost every town though.

"What, you think they're stalking us? If they are, it's because we do their dirty work for them." Gladio doubted that was the case, but it was better to joke about it than actually worry. Noctis shushed all of them so he could focus. 

"Noct, can I walk around a bit?" Prompto was starting to feel a little trapped now, and they weren't actively moving through the cave so he wanted to stretch his legs. Noctis paused his fishing to free his friend from his pocket. "Stay away from the edge of the pier."

"Noct, I'm not gonna fall in. I just want to move around a little." 

"If he does fall in you can fish him out." Gladio yawned. Ignis bent down to pick Prompto up. "Here, move back. If Noct gets a bite he might step on you in his excitement." He put his friend down next to his shoe, and Prompto sat down on it. He trusted Ignis not to suddenly kick out or anything. 

Noctis finally caught a cave dace after ten minutes of waiting. In that time Ignis had already crafted two new recipes, Prompto circling his legs as he paced. Gladio had texted Iris before watching Noctis pull the fish from its dark home. 

They continued on, Prompto back in Noctis' pocket. 

The men reached a spot where an Iron Giant ambushed them. To add to the already stressful situation, a Ronin, a Necromancer, and some Hecteyes joined the fray. Noctis used the ancient scaffolding in the cave walls to gain a vantage point. Prompto pointed at the Iron Giant's face. "I usually shoot there, Noct!"

Noctis nodded and warped, shoving the sword into the monster's nose. Vanquished, it dissolved as Noctis moved on to help his other Crownsguard with the remaining enemies. The Ronin was easy to overwhelm, and Ignis used the king's magic to ignite his daggers. The Hecteyes didn't stand a chance. 

"What's up that ladder?" Gladio pointed to the spot Noctis had warped to. "A tunnel. Hold on, I'll lower the ladder." Noctis warped up. The older men climbed up after the ladder dropped. They followed the tunnel until-

"Another door?" 

"Noct, can't you just... magic it open, or something like that?" Prompto wasn't as well versed in royal magic as the others. "Hmm, no, I don't think that would work. See the runes, and this lock? We need a key."

Unable to proceed, they exited Daurell Caverns. 

-o-

"Woohoo! Bath time!" "I could crash right here." "You can remain awake long enough to eat." 

The younger three jabbered as Gladio beelined to the bathroom to shower. Ignis started cooking, so Prompto and Noctis went to raid the hotel's lost and found bin for more doll clothes. They didn't know how long it would be before normalcy returned, so more outfits were necessary. 

Noctis put Prompto down on the table next to the bin they were searching through. He laughed and held up the perfect thing before pretending to remove his friend's shirt to put it on him. "Hey, Prompto, look. There's a wedding dress on this doll. Wanna-" 

"Nooooccttt! Cut it out, man!" Prompto yanked his shirt back down. "No way I'm putting that on! Wait, is there a tuxedo? If there's a bride doll shouldn't there be a groom? Aw man, I'd look so cool in a tux! I'd look like a secret agent!" The blond posed with finger guns. "Aw yeah! Mr. Argentum, super spy..."

Noctis dug through the bin. "Sorry, Agent Nerd, no spy wear in here. How about this surfer doll? You can take the swim trunks. Look, he even has a black tank top." Noctis held up the surfer next to Prompto to compare sizes. Yeah, these would fit. "Or would you rather wear this surfer's bathing suit? You could match Cindy~" Noctis held up a bikini clad toy, sing-songing as he wiggled it in front of the flustered blond. 

"I'm just going to take the swim trunks and tank top. I don't know why you want to humiliate your bestest bud, but I'm telling Ignis." Prompto carried the salvaged clothes and stomped off. 

Until he reached the end of the table. 

"Uh, little help please, Noct?" 

"Promise not to tattle like a little kid?" Noctis grinned at him. He was stuck until he agreed. The advisor would definitely launch into a spiel about responsibility that they would both be forced to sit through, and Noctis didn't feel like being lectured for messing around with doll clothes. 

"Fine." Prompto stuck his tongue out childishly. Noctis retaliated by licking his finger and rubbing it over Prompto's cheek. "Gross! King slime! Help, I'm poisoned! Ack, gah..." He wiped it off as Noctis picked him up, laughing hysterically. 

"You're so dramatic." 

"You're so mean! Here I am, tiny and vulnerable, and you poison me. After trying to play dress up, too." Prompto pretended to swoon. "It's too much, I can't go on! Noct has turned against me!"

They had made it back to the hotel room now, and the bathroom was free. The older men ignored the giggling children as they playfully bickered. 

"Turned against you? Who's been carrying your itty bitty butt all day?" Noctis carried Prompto into the bathroom to put him on the counter. He plugged the sink and turned on the water. "Who is currently helping you take a bath? I ought to put you in Gladio's pocket, see how much you whine then."

"Please, no, hahaha I take it back! Gladdy would be haha ten times meaner! A hahahahundred times meaner! He'd probablyhehee accidentally step on me, too!" Prompto couldn't stop laughing. Probably because Noctis had started tickling him as they waited for the water to fill. 

Noctis finally stopped. "Here, sink's filled. Here's the soap. Have at it, I'm going in the big boy shower, okay?" He went to get his stuff to get into the proper tub as Prompto readied to climb into the sink. 

Prompto worked up a nice lather as Noctis got into the shower, curtain drawn. He turned on the water. "Oh, wait. Here." He peeked out and passed Prompto some shampoo. It oozed out of the bottle, some of it falling into the sink. The blond managed to catch enough to use though. 

He drained the sink, and turned on the faucet. It was a bit tough, trying to get it on while soapy and slippery. Water finally flowing, Prompto stuck himself under the steady stream. "Uh, Noct? Know what I just realized?" 

"What, Prom?" Noctis was busy rinsing himself off. He turned off the water and grabbed his towel. 

Oh wait. Towel. 

"Hold on, Prom." Noctis clambered out of the tub wrapped in his towel as he went to find one for his friend. He eventually returned with one, and Prompto exited the sink to use a corner. Clean and dry at last, he put on the clothes they had taken from the surfer doll. 

Noctis put him down on the bed after he dressed himself in some pajamas. "Prompto, this is still weird." 

"I know. You think after a whole day I'd get used to it, but no, I'm still freaked out. Thank you for helping me." Prompto smiled up at Noctis, who smiled back. 

"Of course."


	2. Chapter 2

When they woke up the next day they were pleased to find that Ignis was closer to his original height. Prompto, however, hadn't grown. 

"It will wear off eventually. Don't remain upset." 

"Easy for you to say, Iggy. You're almost back to normal." The miniature photographer pouted. 

Gladio rolled his eyes. "You probably just need to wait another day. So, what's on the agenda for today?" 

"Well, we still have that can of car wax we never gave to Cindy." Noctis stretched and cracked his neck. "And Cid should be done upgrading that bioblaster by the time we get there. If not, we can just wait there for Prompto to grow up." 

The gunner groaned. "Aw man, this is so embarrassing! I don't want Cindy to see me like this! I'll never live it down!" Prompto hid his face in his hands. 

"There's no need for melodrama. Come, we're wasting daylight." Ignis stood up from the breakfast table. The advisor figured that if they waited until Prompto wasn't embarrassed then they'd never accomplish anything. 

-o-

"Howdy, y'all!" Cindy waved as they drew closer. "How are ya doin'?" 

She counted heads. Three men waved back at her politely. 

"Where's the little blond one? With the fancy camera?" Cindy was confused, the youngest male was usually two steps behind the prince. Well, king now. Paw Paw had regaled her with tales of his journey after the retinue had first arrived. It seemed that Noctis was a lot like ol' Reggie. 

Noctis smirked. "Oh, here he is." He reached into his pocket and held Prompto for her to examine. 

"Oh my! What happened!?" The mechanic leaned in a little and went to poke the flustered man in Noctis' hand. 

Prompto turned seven different shades of red as he stammered out an explanation. Aw man, this was so humiliating. He wished Noctis had just left him in the pocket and come up with an excuse, but no. His best friend just loved torturing him, it seemed. 

"Aww, yer as cute as a lug nut." Cindy held out her hands and Noctis gently dropped Prompto into them. She tickled under his chin, and Prompto was sure he would pass out from blushing so much. "I wonder if Paw Paw ever had to deal with crazy things like this. Oh, let's just go ask him, alright?" 

Cindy turned to enter the garage, and Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio followed. Maybe Cid would know how to fix this. Noctis furrowed his brow, wondering if his father had dealt with similar situations in the past. 

Cid looked up from the weapon he was currently fixing. "What're y'all doin' here, yer dang gun ain't ready just yet." He was a little cranky (more than usual, anyway), he was having trouble with the trigger. 

Cindy showed her grandfather the shrunken blond, placing him on the table near the toolbox. "Do ya know how to reverse this, Paw Paw?" 

Prompto squirmed uncomfortably under the old man's scrutiny. Noctis picked him up when Cid grunted, irritated. "No. I ain't never seen this before." 

"You never dealt with status effects when you traveled with His Majesty?" Ignis folded his arms, not believing that possible. It seemed like the four of them encountered a new one every week. Confusion, petrification, toading... Surely Regis and his retinue had faced similar dilemmas? Lucis hadn't changed that much since the king's youth...

"Oh, we had our fair share o' trouble, but never this. Haha, one time Reggie was stuck as a frog for a while, but never got shrunken like this." Cid went back to work, apparently done reminiscing. 

Gladio hummed disapprovingly, upset that the advice was... well, there hadn't been any advice. This had been a waste of time. "Come on, let's go." 

Noctis nodded. The four men went to leave, saying a small goodbye to Cindy. Cid's voice stopped them when they got to the doorway. "Stay in the caravan tonight, free o' charge. Y'all need a good rest." 

"Okay... Thanks, Cid." Noctis was surprised at his generosity. Maybe he felt bad he couldn't offer more help with the 'little' problem? They headed towards Takka's to eat. 

"That was pretty nice of him, huh? And I'm surprised he didn't scold us for getting into trouble in the first place." Prompto sat next to Noctis' cup as they waited for the food. 

Ignis sighed. "I'm sure we'll receive enough trouble from him in the future. It seems like he has something planned, I doubt sharing the caravan was simply an act of goodwill."

"Yeah, he's too crotchety to be nice out of the blue like that." Gladio frowned, unsure of what the old man could want now. He had 'taught them a lesson' before, having Cindy urge them to become hunters to pay off the car's repairs... What lesson would he teach now?

Prompto sighed. "I hope we're just being overly cautious. It would be nice to have one day where nothing goes wrong." 

Noctis snorted. "Yeah, right. You know that will never happen." They all nodded, aware that life wasn't a simple fairy tale where everything was always perfect. 

-o-

Ignis had insisted they take some hunts, and so when all four men got ready for bed they forgot to lock the caravan door. 

Cid chuckled to himself, it was too easy. The boy really was just like ol' Reggie. 

The mechanic crept into the caravan at precisely two in the morning, the same time his bladder woke him up every night. All the young'uns were sleeping, so Cid was sure he could pull off his latest 'teachable moment' without a hitch. 

Cid turned on the overhead stove light, the low wattage enough for him to see with but not enough to disturb the slumbering king and his friends. He put a wrench on the counter and continued towards the sleeping area of the caravan. 

There, nestled on a throw pillow that was perched on top of the bed's pillows... Cid carefully, carefully lifted Prompto from his spot next to Noctis. 

He turned off the stove light and locked the caravan door behind him as he stepped back into the night. 

Prompto was still asleep. 

-o-

Noctis was freaking out. "He's not in the sheets, I didn't squish him! Where the hell is he?" Another pillow went sailing as it was tossed out of the way. Noctis dropped to the floor to look under the bed. 

Gladio was busy scanning the bathroom. "He couldn't have gotten far..." 

Noctis ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "Why does this crap always happen to us!?" 

Ignis froze as he realized where Prompto might be. "I thought it was odd that Cid lent the caravan to us free of charge." The advisor held up a wrench that was sitting so innocently on the kitchen counter. 

Noctis snatched it and stormed out of the caravan. Friend of his father's or not, he was going to KILL Cid. 

-o-

Prompto woke up and stretched. 

It smelled weird. Like... the way the garage at Hammerhead smelled. Prompto fumbled around for his phone as he realized that the bed felt really hard, for some reason. And what time was it, it was really dark...

Prompto's eyes slowly adjusted, and he realized he wasn't in the caravan bed anymore. He crawled forward until he hit his head on some... metal? He felt whatever he had knocked into. 

A screwdriver, maybe? 

Was he in a toolbox!?

That would explain the smell and the darkness. 

Prompto stood up, letting out a tiny whine when he hit his head again on what was probably the lid. It moved a little, allowing more light in. It wasn't latched closed, good!! Prompto pushed upwards. The space felt like it was growing smaller, but if he could just open the lid!

He couldn't open it all the way, the lid swung outwards. From his position he wasn't able to lift it any higher. 

"HELP! NOCT? THIS ISN'T FUNNY, GUYS!" Prompto stood on his tippy toes and stayed holding the lid as high as he could. 

Oh. It looked like he was in the garage, from the limited scope he had. 

! 

Maybe Cindy would help? 

But... why was he here in the first place? Had the mechanic decided to play a trick because she knew he liked her? Aw man... This was a mean way of saying she wasn't interested... Did she know he was claustrophobic? Is that why she put him in here, so he'd stop awkwardly flirting?

"Yer finally up, boy. Yer as lazy as they come." 

Prompto watched Cid walk into his line of sight. So... had Cid put him in here? Why?? He usually just heckled Noct...

"Fix that slack jaw, boy! Yer gonna catch flies with yer yap wide open like that!" Cid opened the lid, and Prompto was able to see that yes, he was in a toolbox. "Cid?" 

"The one and only. Ya know, y'all oughtta lock the door before you go to bed. Burglars and murderers would have a real easy time gettin' after y'all." The older male watched as the minuscule man tried to climb out of the makeshift cage. 

"Wh-Why did you, hngh, bring me, huh huh... heeerrree!" No matter how hard Prompto tried, he just couldn't get his leg hooked over the side of the toolbox. He finally plopped down, panting from exertion. "Noct and the guys are going to be worried. Oh no, they'll probably think I got squashed!" 

"Well, that's the lesson this time, kiddo. Y'all ain't careful enough. Yer traipsin' 'round Lucis without a care, but there are some nasty folk out there. Yer lucky I'm teachin' y'all the importance of being on guard. Y'all obviously weren't when explorin' that cave, and y'all sure weren't careful last night. Always lock yer doors, no matter where yer stayin'. There's crazies everywhere."

Prompto was going to ask if Cid was talking about himself, but he held his tongue. It wouldn't be wise to upset this psychotic mechanic who kidnapped people to teach them things. 

Cindy's voice could be heard, and it sounded like she was getting closer. "-reckon he's in here, ol' Paw Paw likes gettin' an early start, haha!" 

"And you're sure you didn't see Prompto?" Ignis' firm voice followed, calm and even to the untrained ear. Prompto could hear the underlying panic and concern though, they had been traveling together long enough for him to know when the man was upset. 

Prompto was about to yell to his friends when Cid closed the toolbox lid. Prompto banged on the inside wall. "Hey! Let me out! Hey!!" The distressed blond felt the world tilt as the toolbox was lifted. "Whoa!" 

Cid put the box next to his old picture from his time with Regis. He turned to greet the three men searching for Prompto. 

Noctis' stomping was audible, even from the confines of the toolbox. Prompto started making noise again, but Noctis was too busy shouting to hear it. 

"Where did you hide him!? And here's your stupid wrench back! You're not funny, old man! I don't know why you love messing with us, but you better give Prompto back right now!" 

Cid, the infuriating old codger, just smirked. "Cindy, darlin', here's yer toolbox back. I put the tools in that car you were tinkerin' with, though."

"Paw Paw, what's goin' on?" She took the toolbox. 

Noctis pointed, enraged. "Your grandfather is messing with me just because he was buddies with Dad! I don't know how he put up with you!" 

Both Ignis and Gladio clapped their hands onto Noctis' shoulders. "Hey, cool it!" "Do you really think yelling is going to get him to do what you want?" 

Cid waited for the Crownsguard to talk Noctis down. "Now, are y'all ready to listen?" 

"Will you tell us what you did to Prompto!?" Noctis clenched his fists. 

"Yep." Cid repeated his spiel about being careful. 

"Seriously? You pull a stunt like this to tell us to lock our door at night?" Noctis ground his teeth. 

"Hey, y'all won't forget now. And I do love messin' with a Caelum. Hehe, ya really took me back. Ya sound just like Reggie when ya holler like that. Cindy, open that toolbox, will ya? I reckon the poor boy's had enough of being jostled around."

Cindy still didn't get what was happening, but she opened the lid. Noctis strode over, ready to snatch the box right out of her hands. 

He stopped when he saw Prompto curled up, face hidden in his knees. "Prom?" 

Teary eyes and a wobbling lip greeted the king. "N-Noct? It's too c-cramped in here." 

Noctis cursed. Being trapped in the dark, small space was not good for his anxious best friend. The king tentatively lifted his pal out. 

Suddenly Ignis and Gladio were crowding Noctis to see if Prompto was okay. 

The blond was busy controlling his breathing, and was almost done self-regulating when he spoke again. "Hey, guys. Haha, so Cid and I had a man to man... hehe. Can we go now?" 

"Yes." Noctis carried him out, the other two not far behind. As they left Cindy turned to Cid. "Paw Paw, what did you do?" 

"Remind them to protect each other. Heh... My back hurts." Cid turned to go straight to work on that blasted trigger again. 

-o-

"Prompto, are you sure you're alright?" 

"Yes, Ignis, I'm fine. Being out here, with you guys... I don't feel so cramped anymore." Prompto yawned. "I'm tired." 

"It's only ten o'clock..." Noctis shook his head. It was too early to go to bed, even by his standards. 

Gladio shook his head. "Well, you probably still need to sleep off the rest of this status effect. Look, Ignis is his regular height again." 

Nobody had noticed before because of all the commotion. 

"Oh, yeah. You are, Specs." Noctis looked the advisor up and down. 

"Then it's settled. Prompto, go to bed." Ignis went to go make lunch for the road. They would be leaving once Cindy was done with the car wax. 

Gladio went to go check on the progress while Noctis played some King's Knight. Prompto slept peacefully on the top bunk of the caravan. 

An hour later, Ignis went to check on the youngest party member. "Noct, come look!" Ignis shook Prompto's shoulder. 

Prompto's normal sized shoulder on his normal sized body!!! 

"Wha... Iggy? What time is it... HEY!! LOOK! I'm me again!!!" Prompto hastily covered himself with the thin blanket. He had grown right out of the doll clothes. "Uh, little privacy, please?" 

Noctis laughed and ruffled his hair. "Get ready to go, Prompto. We've got to get out of here before Cid decides to teach us something else." 

"Yeah!" 

-o-

Prompto shot another sabretusk just before it leapt at Noctis. He was so happy he was able to contribute to the team like before. "Ya like that?" 

"Solid!" 

Prompto gunned down the last monster that had been lunging towards Ignis. "You're in fine form, keep it up!" 

"Somebody's making up for lost time." Gladio smirked, pleased that all four of them were back to kicking monster butt. 

"Yeah, well, Cid said to be careful, so I'm trying my best!" Prompto smiled. Cindy had apologized when they had finally explained everything to her. Prompto rubbed a hand over his cheek again, right where she had kissed. 

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we will lock the stupid door too." 

"Where are we staying tonight?" Prompto let the pistol dissolve as it returned to the armiger. He fell into step behind Noctis as the king led them away. 

"Let me check the map for suitable lodgings..." Ignis pulled the map from his pocket as Gladio suggested camping. 

They began bickering about the benefits of camping versus renting hotel rooms, and everything was as it should be.


End file.
